L3901 in the drink.

[JR4AL]

glad your alright. I'm not sure how the brakes didn't help? I like to see this slope you were cutting.

Thank you. By the time I hit the brakes both front and rear tires were in the water on the slick clay of the dam. Sort of like being on ice. The slope where I was cutting although steep, is not very high from the top of the dam to the waters edge (maybe five or six feet of freeboard). Somewhere in that five or six feet is where I made the wrong decision to hit the switch first. This photo is of the wrecker pulling it out where I went in the water.

 

[RCW]

This photo is of the wrecker pulling it out where I went in the water.

Wow....all I can say.....other than SO glad you're okay!!!

As a couple guys/gals eluded, it takes some BIG COJONES to go to a forum and say I made a mistake; understand my mistake, AND DON'T FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE!!

For that, you get my deepest respect!

Of course, the oxymoron in your case is that a "Safety Feature" fired off the chain of events for the next few seconds. From your story, I could see myself trying to combat that situation in such a short time. Don't think I would have reacted differently than you did.

While back, I was mowing a roadside along top of a steep bank. Going too fast, tall grass, no seatbelt, places I hadn't done before. Hit a washout along road and damn near rolled it down into a big drop-off. Real, real close to going over. I told the folks here....for the same reason you did!! (After I changed my shorts!!)

Thank you, I hope it gets some other guys thinking!!

 

[Newlyme]

Glad to hear you're ok.

Thanks for sharing and reminding us all Safety First.

How many hours were on her?

 

[JR4AL]

Glad to hear you're ok.

Thanks for sharing and reminding us all Safety First.

How many hours were on her?

403 hours.

 

[tbk5]

Glad to hear you're ok.

Thanks for sharing and reminding us all Safety First.

How many hours were on her?

403 hours.

Totaled?? Since the engine was not running when she went in, could you tow her out, drain and replace all the fluids and filters and fire her up again?

 

[sheepfarmer]

JR4AL's comments reminded me about another idiosyncrasy of these HST tractors that I nearly discovered the hard way. Normally when you are going along and you release pressure on the HST pedal, the tractor stops. Well that is only true if the tractor is in gear. I was pulling out of the barn and down the ramp, and it popped out of gear. Suddenly I was rocketing downhill toward a fence. Fortunately the brakes still worked. But it was surprising how fast that tractor can gain speed when not in gear.

 

[JR4AL]

Totaled?? Since the engine was not running when she went in, could you tow her out, drain and replace all the fluids and filters and fire her up again?

Totaled. I am no dealer, mechanic or insurance man but they are the ones that made the decision. I assume down the road no one was willing to warrant/insure the potential for unforeseen issues with a machine that was underwater for 5 hours.

 

[JR4AL]

JR4AL's comments reminded me about another idiosyncrasy of these HST tractors that I nearly discovered the hard way. Normally when you are going along and you release pressure on the HST pedal, the tractor stops. Well that is only true if the tractor is in gear. I was pulling out of the barn and down the ramp, and it popped out of gear. Suddenly I was rocketing downhill toward a fence. Fortunately the brakes still worked. But it was surprising how fast that tractor can gain speed when not in gear.

Exactly! The HST is designed and we as drivers of HST get used to the tractor "braking" when the tredle peddle is not active. When that instance occurs when the HST is not "braking"for you it takes a moment to figure out what is going on, why am I in free fall? HST is still my transmission of choice even after this instance. We just live and learn!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Did they warranty the mower too?
If not you need to drain the case on it and replace the gear oil.

 

[JR4AL]

Did they warranty the mower too?
If not you need to drain the case on it and replace the gear oil.

I traded the mower to my dealer. He was going to have his mechanics give it a once over. I am sure they will drain the oil. The insurance did not mention the mower and I did not think to ask. My insurance and my dealer have been more than helpful to me in all of this.

 

[Sharryn]

Exactly! The HST is designed and we as drivers of HST get used to the tractor "braking" when the tredle peddle is not active. When that instance occurs when the HST is not "braking"for you it takes a moment to figure out what is going on, why am I in free fall? HST is still my transmission of choice even after this instance. We just live and learn!

Thanks for bringing this up. I never thought about that occurring if it was out of gear. And I don't want to learn the hard way either.

 

[Sharryn]

Hopefully my story will save a life or cause someone to think faster than I could. Last Friday, I was bushogging our family pond like I have dozens of times before. Up and down the banks never parallel with the water. On a completely "normal" pass as I backed the tail wheel to the edge of the pond, I leaned too far in the seat causing the kill switch to activate and immediatly shut off the engine. My first reaction was to crank the tractor...with the tractor off, going backwards on the interior of the dam, my first move was wrong and cost me too much time. Within one second of the tractor shutting off, the inertia of the blades caught the water and began sucking the tractor in the pond. My next move was to hit the brakes. (The placement of the brakes on this model is horrible above the tredle pedal). Time ran out at second two and the tractor was entering the water hitting the brakes did little good as gravity and blades were pulling us both in 14 feet of water. As water covered my waste I knew I had to get out of the seatbelt. I clicked the seat belt and Tried to stand up. The seatbelt was caught as if it was trying to prevent me from being ejected. I had to remove the belt from my lap to stand up. The water was to my chest in literally three seconds from shut off. I had to swim to the bank. I thought I was fast enough to drop the bucket but it would have done little to slow this event from unfolding, the bucket would have just slid in with us. Nevertheless, I hope my story causes someone to be safer than they otherwise would be and maybe they will think faster than me. Be safe out there guys. I never thought this could happen to me!

My heart is still racing after reading your post, because it could happen to any one of us. Thank you for sharing and praise be to God you survived.

 

[highcountrybarry]

It is always good to learn from other's actions. My HST has popped out of gear a couple times and it is indeed incredible how much speed it picks up before your brain understands what is happening and reacts. I now hold the shift lever hard to either end until I have started moving and know it is in gear. I also hold on to it in the middle gear and go forward and back to be certain it is engaged. I recently upgraded to a new L Series from an older model and they moved the brake from right to left on the L 60's. Now my automatic reaction to grab the brake is on the wrong side. It is slowly coming around but extra caution is required until I get used to it. No big deal in normal activities but crisis mode is something different.


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[seagullplayer]

All I want to say is I understand. And that I'm glad you are OK.

I need to check my home owners policy.

 

[100 td]

I traded the mower to my dealer. He was going to have his mechanics give it a once over. I am sure they will drain the oil.

I'll bet someone at the dealers' is going to get a cheap tractor!

 

[jbbepic]

Man jr4al ! Glad to hear the story and more importantly you being ok! Thanks for Sharing that story. just like our other fellow members said here it's Good to talk about it and learn from. I didn't realize or ever think of the gear shifter on an hst. Can possibly pop out and the tractor rolls in neutral like others here have experienced. Things we learn on the site and field to help each other. Great teamwork here on OTT!!


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